Any positives/negatives about the IP program? I know there is an associated clinic, is it hard to get involved with it?

How dog friendly is the area (big sloppy dogs) for renters? Any dog parks around?

Thanks again!

I've taken a lot of IP classes, and there are a good amount of them. Here the thing about IP in general: employers really don't care what classes you take. If you have a science background and want to do IP then it doesn't really matter what classes you take. If you want to do soft IP then it's really a matter of luck and I guess doing the clinic and such would help but I certainly wouldn't choose the school because of it or the classes that they offer. I would just worry about grades and then work hard during your SA to get into the IP program. The IP clinic takes a ton of patent kids and not a lot of soft IP ones so yes it could be tough to do if you are a soft IP person.

Forest Park is across the street from the school. It's like the third largest public park in the nation so you're all good there.

Were you able to secure a job for this coming summer in St. Louis or are were you hoping to go elsewhere? For the people who do not have jobs lined up, what are they doing to find jobs? Is the career development office still assisting them or are they pretty much on their own? I ask because there seems to be a trend that students who do not receive interviews or offers through OCI complain that the school's career development office isn't helping. I was just wondering what your take on the situation was at Washington University.

___EDIT bc my computer screwed up:

St. Louis was tough for me and my friends. Of 5 of my friends that needed/wanted to stay in the area (and none of us had ties) 1 got market at a small firm, 2 worked for tiny firms (e.g., 1-10 man shops), and 2 of us went bust despite biglaw offers elsewhere. It's not impossible but it's tough if you don't have ties. Also understand that many firms resent WUSTL students looking at STL as a backup so often times prefer SLU and Mizzou grads.

I would agree that career services really does not do much for you if you don't get a job out of OCI (either because of grades or because they wanted to go to a non-popular region). But that is not to say that all is lost. I know many people who got great offers through mass mailing and working connections. All that having been said, when I compared notes to my other SA's from similarly ranked schools (e.g., UMN, GWU, Hastings, etc.) it seems like they had it worse off.

I'm a WUSTL 2L and would also be happy to answer some questions on here or by message.

Basics: I have a scholarship, I'm not from STL although I do have "ties to the area" and I didn't have a hard time with the job search.

As for rank, I would agree that you'd probably want to aim for top 20% (the cutoff for some OCI firms) or top 1/3 to have an easy time getting Biglaw at a top firm. If you're a bad interviewer, you will have a harder time (obviously) despite good grades. I do know numerous people outside of the top 1/3 - some are still looking (if the market they want has a lot of competition and not many options) but I know people in the bottom of the class who interview well and have non-market but high-paying firm jobs. A lot depends on the market you want and how flexible you are.

EDIT: I'm not on here often so if you want a fast response, message me which sends me an e-mail

Were you able to secure a job for this coming summer in St. Louis or are were you hoping to go elsewhere? For the people who do not have jobs lined up, what are they doing to find jobs? Is the career development office still assisting them or are they pretty much on their own? I ask because there seems to be a trend that students who do not receive interviews or offers through OCI complain that the school's career development office isn't helping. I was just wondering what your take on the situation was at Washington University.

I had offers from St. Louis and non-St. Louis firms. I only applied to firms in cities I was seriously considering. Message me if you want more detail.

As for the people without jobs, I really don't know. All of my good friends have jobs lined up and I wouldn't really feel comfortable discussing the job search with acquaintances who don't. Career Services has been running a number of programs and sending out weeking e-mails with information about spring OCI, public interest opportunities, networking events, fellowships, etc.

might be an off topic question but what's the WUSTL campus like? I've never been to St. Louis and to be honest the only time I really hear much about the city is in regards to its high crime rate. I applied to WUSTL (waiting to hear back any day now) and am definitely entertaining the idea of attending if accepted, but if you could sorta fill me in on the city, such as the school's location and what there is to do in St. Louis, the crime factor, etc, I'd appreciate it.

This goes for anyone from the area as well if you'd be willing to fill me in...

might be an off topic question but what's the WUSTL campus like? I've never been to St. Louis and to be honest the only time I really hear much about the city is in regards to its high crime rate. I applied to WUSTL (waiting to hear back any day now) and am definitely entertaining the idea of attending if accepted, but if you could sorta fill me in on the city, such as the school's location and what there is to do in St. Louis, the crime factor, etc, I'd appreciate it.

This goes for anyone from the area as well if you'd be willing to fill me in...

Thanks.

The Campus is beautiful, though, given the amount of time a law student spends in the law school, you're not going to see much of it. Nonetheless, the buildings are nice, the facilities top-notch, and the faculty really helpful. Unfortunately, the law school is surrounded by the construction of two buildings right now, but don't let that deter you.

As for the St. Louis area, yes the crime rate is high (though Detroit recently took back "Most Dangerous City") BUT high only in certain areas. What I tell a lot of people is that the statistic is slightly skewed. It measures only the city limits and NOT what is thought of as the St. Louis area. It is, for better or worse, really obvious where crime is likely to occur. As long as you avoid these areas like you would in any other city, you'll be fine.

What is there to do?Well, St Louis is one of the only cities where must of the museums and many of the attractions are FREE. The Art Museum, the History Museum, The Science Center, the Zoo, all of these are free admission (just eat somewhere else). There's plenty of bars and clubs in downtown, though, you will probably settle into the same few bars out of habit or necessity.

Also, if you're the gambling type, a new casino recently opened called "Lumierre's Place." A Bryan Cave, and former Jones Day attorney, described the place to me as the best casino he's been to outside Las Vegas.

(incidentally, I'm a 1L at WUSTL. I noticed there's a 2L here as well, so I suppose this thread runs the gamut, so to speak.)

Any positives/negatives about the IP program? I know there is an associated clinic, is it hard to get involved with it?

How dog friendly is the area (big sloppy dogs) for renters? Any dog parks around?

Thanks again!

I can't speak to the IP program but there is a clinic. STL (particularly the areas near Forest Park) is extremely dog friendly. There are always people walking their dogs in the park and in the Central West End, but my building doesn't allow larger dogs. (Others must, since I see large dogs all the time)

the IP program is growing and with each passing day, becoming more and more recognized. This coming spring the IP Law Society has brought in one the largest IP Boutiques in the nation from CA. The school, and the society, participate in the Patent Law Interview Program held in Chicago in August (though the program is a misnomer since it's not limited to patents), where IP firms from all over the nation come and hold interviews.

If you're interest in biotechnology, then STL is a good area, in general. Wash U's science departments and med schools are always in the news with some sort of scientific breakthrough or innovation. Monsanto, Sigma Aldrich, Pfizer, and other large bio/pharma companies have their "principal place of business" here.

I'm a WUSTL 2L and would also be happy to answer some questions on here or by message.

Basics: I have a scholarship, I'm not from STL although I do have "ties to the area" and I didn't have a hard time with the job search.

As for rank, I would agree that you'd probably want to aim for top 20% (the cutoff for some OCI firms) or top 1/3 to have an easy time getting Biglaw at a top firm. If you're a bad interviewer, you will have a harder time (obviously) despite good grades. I do know numerous people outside of the top 1/3 - some are still looking (if the market they want has a lot of competition and not many options) but I know people in the bottom of the class who interview well and have non-market but high-paying firm jobs. A lot depends on the market you want and how flexible you are.

EDIT: I'm not on here often so if you want a fast response, message me which sends me an e-mail

Were you able to secure a job for this coming summer in St. Louis or are were you hoping to go elsewhere? For the people who do not have jobs lined up, what are they doing to find jobs? Is the career development office still assisting them or are they pretty much on their own? I ask because there seems to be a trend that students who do not receive interviews or offers through OCI complain that the school's career development office isn't helping. I was just wondering what your take on the situation was at Washington University.

well, there are plenty of programs that the school offers, and I suggest you take advantage of all of them, especially as a 1L since offers are going to be limited in general. Regarding our CSO, the school is trying to revamp the way things are done generally. You'll become well acquainted with CSO your first week during orientation, one might even say, overly so.

most of my classmates are into their call-back interviews at this point which they have gotten through OCI or diversity programs. Depending on your first semester grades, programs tend to be more successful, since most are grade blind.

However, you should look at other school's websites, check state bar pages, and any other resources. Don't limit yourself at ANY school to simply their programs.

I will be interning for a Magistrate Judge in DC this summer, but I found this position on my own by researching other sites

You say that WUSTL has a very laid back environment where people don't talk about grades or rankings. What do you think it is about the students that makes them so?

Perhaps the notion of going to budweiser university attracts lazy fratboys?

Perhaps the large scholarships they offer attract a large number of stereotypical humanities majors with no other job prospects who are very ambivalent about law school in general and like the idea of delaying entering the real world while also not collecting 150k in debt?

Perhaps the friendliness toward people with high lsats and low gpas means alot of smart people who have trouble applying themselves or just don't concern themselves with external measures of success?

Perhaps its location in the midwest discourages many of the more obsessive gunnerish students from even applying?

Being as I am strongly considering enrolling in the fall, I am very interested in the general makeup of the student body. The huge binder I just got in the mail didn't really cover this subject very well.

You say that WUSTL has a very laid back environment where people don't talk about grades or rankings. What do you think it is about the students that makes them so?

Perhaps the notion of going to budweiser university attracts lazy fratboys?

Perhaps the large scholarships they offer attract a large number of stereotypical humanities majors with no other job prospects who are very ambivalent about law school in general and like the idea of delaying entering the real world while also not collecting 150k in debt?

Perhaps the friendliness toward people with high lsats and low gpas means alot of smart people who have trouble applying themselves or just don't concern themselves with external measures of success?

Perhaps its location in the midwest discourages many of the more obsessive gunnerish students from even applying?

Being as I am strongly considering enrolling in the fall, I am very interested in the general makeup of the student body. The huge binder I just got in the mail didn't really cover this subject very well.

might be an off topic question but what's the WUSTL campus like? I've never been to St. Louis and to be honest the only time I really hear much about the city is in regards to its high crime rate. I applied to WUSTL (waiting to hear back any day now) and am definitely entertaining the idea of attending if accepted, but if you could sorta fill me in on the city, such as the school's location and what there is to do in St. Louis, the crime factor, etc, I'd appreciate it.

This goes for anyone from the area as well if you'd be willing to fill me in...

Thanks.

The problem with that statistic is that it is for St. Louis City only. There are lots and lots of other adjacent cities and townships in St. Louis County where people live and work which are very very nice. E.g., Clayton, University City, Kirkwood, Webster Groves, Town and Country, Ladue, etc.